We had a fabulous Spring Break at Disney with my sister-in-law and her family. Great to just kick back and finally relax a bit.
Things are moving ahead at a wonderful pace for Atala next year. We have 85% of our students re-enolled already and have had several new families sign up for the toddler and preschool rooms for next year already. Plans for the new middle school are coming along nicely.
Big news is that we have been looking for a permanent property for the school. We've been all over Homestead and seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. We think we may have found the perfect place. I don't want to say too much until we've been through it again with the professionals and our bid has been accepted. The bank is coming today to talk about a mortgage loan and line of credit to fix up the place. We're meeting with the real estate attorney soon. So I should be able to report on more good news by the beginning of the summer.
Spread Your Wings!
24 March 2011
04 March 2011
26 February 2011
DCF, revisited
Let me preface this whole entry with a fact: I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican. That being said, I do lean more to the radical side of things in general, but not always. Yesterday was a perfect display of when I lean the other way...
A friend and I were headed to the SOBE Wine and Food Fest for a quick break and a wine tasting. We were headed to Ocean Drive, got to 8th St (roughly halfway there) and then hit a traffic nightmare. So we both agreed to head home: there was no way we were going to make it to the event before it was over. Once we turned around, we realized it was divine intervention.
We got a call from the Atala office saying that DCF was there to survey. Anytime DCF shows up you get a knot of frustration in your stomach, but this didn't make sense since we had already had our licensing officer measure everything. We were glad that we had made the decision to turn around, as we would arrive back on campus in time to speak with the rep. Several nerve-wracking phone calls went back and forth, but we prepared when arrived home.
When we arrived back, Beatriz was in the office with our DCF visitor. This DCF guy was having her complete a survey (they were measuring, but not our playground!) about the health and nutrition of our children. There were three questions she had waited to complete: 1) are you interested in participating in the government program for health and nutrition, 2) are you interested in having technical advice on health and nutrition, and 3) are you interested in receiving information on health and nutrition. When I questioned our "guest" about whether these were free programs, he said yes. But when I questioned him about where did it say that these were free programs and if we were obligating ourselves to participating in the program, he said it was in the literature he was leaving. Then I pointed out that neither of us had read the literature, so we were both uncomfortable signing anything.
Then the real fun began. First the DCF officer tells us about a little 2-year-old girl who was 300 pounds because her mother didn't know what to feed her. Then he starts using the word "abuse" in the same sentence. So I put two and two together and asked, "Are you telling me that if a parent of one of our school children sends a peanut butter and jelly sandwich everyday of the year because that's what he child eats, we are going to have to call and report that as child abuse?!" He answered, "Yes, that's not healthy" and again recounts the 300 pound 2 year old story.
The DCF officer then goes on to say, "We license you (as he points to the license hanging on our wall), and we want to work with you to educate you about the issues that are important to Mrs. Michelle Obama, who is going to be at the University of Miami meeting with DCF next week." So this not-so veiled threat to pull our licensing is all in the name of Michelle Obama?! Just on the off chance that Big Brother is reading all the blogs out there, let me just say to Mrs. Obama that DCF in Florida is one of the most shabbily run, disorganized, and corrupt government agencies with which I have ever come in contact. And you are thinking of putting them in charge of our children's health?! I implore you to rethink this decision. While I have no doubt that the 2-year-old our DCF visitor spoke of really existed, this is an extreme case. Kids are kids. One of my kids went a whole year eating nothing but nuggets--as long as we said it was a nugget, it was eaten. So we had chicken nuggets, fish nuggets, hamburger nuggets, whatever it was we called it a "nugget."
Whatever ridiculous DCF officer is going to try to monitor (and I still don't know if this was going to be free, but I'm guessing the school was going to get socked with some extra fees to cover the costs of monitoring everyone's lunch boxes), I guarantee you he or she doesn't know squat about children. Let's look at all the recent and not-so-recent news coverage about DCF in Miami-Dade County alone. Kids are getting lost in the system, dying at the hands of adults that DCF deemed fit to watch over children. And now you're giving them more power to screw up.
Did you know that there are 6 counties in the State of Florida who refuse to abide by the rules of DCF? I'd like to mount a campaign to have Miami-Dade county added to that list! I do not believe big government can help this situation at all. Requiring us to monitor the lunch boxes of our families and then reporting back to a government agency is just bologna (and not fat free)!
A friend and I were headed to the SOBE Wine and Food Fest for a quick break and a wine tasting. We were headed to Ocean Drive, got to 8th St (roughly halfway there) and then hit a traffic nightmare. So we both agreed to head home: there was no way we were going to make it to the event before it was over. Once we turned around, we realized it was divine intervention.
We got a call from the Atala office saying that DCF was there to survey. Anytime DCF shows up you get a knot of frustration in your stomach, but this didn't make sense since we had already had our licensing officer measure everything. We were glad that we had made the decision to turn around, as we would arrive back on campus in time to speak with the rep. Several nerve-wracking phone calls went back and forth, but we prepared when arrived home.
When we arrived back, Beatriz was in the office with our DCF visitor. This DCF guy was having her complete a survey (they were measuring, but not our playground!) about the health and nutrition of our children. There were three questions she had waited to complete: 1) are you interested in participating in the government program for health and nutrition, 2) are you interested in having technical advice on health and nutrition, and 3) are you interested in receiving information on health and nutrition. When I questioned our "guest" about whether these were free programs, he said yes. But when I questioned him about where did it say that these were free programs and if we were obligating ourselves to participating in the program, he said it was in the literature he was leaving. Then I pointed out that neither of us had read the literature, so we were both uncomfortable signing anything.
Then the real fun began. First the DCF officer tells us about a little 2-year-old girl who was 300 pounds because her mother didn't know what to feed her. Then he starts using the word "abuse" in the same sentence. So I put two and two together and asked, "Are you telling me that if a parent of one of our school children sends a peanut butter and jelly sandwich everyday of the year because that's what he child eats, we are going to have to call and report that as child abuse?!" He answered, "Yes, that's not healthy" and again recounts the 300 pound 2 year old story.
The DCF officer then goes on to say, "We license you (as he points to the license hanging on our wall), and we want to work with you to educate you about the issues that are important to Mrs. Michelle Obama, who is going to be at the University of Miami meeting with DCF next week." So this not-so veiled threat to pull our licensing is all in the name of Michelle Obama?! Just on the off chance that Big Brother is reading all the blogs out there, let me just say to Mrs. Obama that DCF in Florida is one of the most shabbily run, disorganized, and corrupt government agencies with which I have ever come in contact. And you are thinking of putting them in charge of our children's health?! I implore you to rethink this decision. While I have no doubt that the 2-year-old our DCF visitor spoke of really existed, this is an extreme case. Kids are kids. One of my kids went a whole year eating nothing but nuggets--as long as we said it was a nugget, it was eaten. So we had chicken nuggets, fish nuggets, hamburger nuggets, whatever it was we called it a "nugget."
Whatever ridiculous DCF officer is going to try to monitor (and I still don't know if this was going to be free, but I'm guessing the school was going to get socked with some extra fees to cover the costs of monitoring everyone's lunch boxes), I guarantee you he or she doesn't know squat about children. Let's look at all the recent and not-so-recent news coverage about DCF in Miami-Dade County alone. Kids are getting lost in the system, dying at the hands of adults that DCF deemed fit to watch over children. And now you're giving them more power to screw up.
Did you know that there are 6 counties in the State of Florida who refuse to abide by the rules of DCF? I'd like to mount a campaign to have Miami-Dade county added to that list! I do not believe big government can help this situation at all. Requiring us to monitor the lunch boxes of our families and then reporting back to a government agency is just bologna (and not fat free)!
14 February 2011
Exhausted
Totally.
Ready for a long weekend. We're headed to Disney, which sounds like it would be exhausting, too, but sometimes you just need a change of pace.
Valentine's Day was awesome! The kids all had fun activities throughout the day. We had a chocolate fest in the office for all the staff.
Found out some interesting news today via the Homestead grapevine.
Bedtime is just around the corner. Sleep...and don't forget to Spread your wings!
Ready for a long weekend. We're headed to Disney, which sounds like it would be exhausting, too, but sometimes you just need a change of pace.
Valentine's Day was awesome! The kids all had fun activities throughout the day. We had a chocolate fest in the office for all the staff.
Found out some interesting news today via the Homestead grapevine.
Bedtime is just around the corner. Sleep...and don't forget to Spread your wings!
11 February 2011
2/11/11
So tired...everyone's working long hours, but they are certainly paying off. We have enrolled 6 new students in five weeks and are well underway with our recruiting efforts for next year. We are at 80% of our target and will definitely exceed that by the end of the school year in May.
Other news, totally awesome that Value Place Lodging and Homestead Main Street are hosting an awareness event for us. Everything is covered--food, sound system, etc. They are even going to have the Golden Knights (akin to the Blue Angels, but for the Army) in full dress with parachutes. Should be beautiful!
Then we all get to march in a kazoo band down Krome Ave. on March 5 for a family-friendly Mardi Gras parade. Again, should be lots of fun for all of us!
Spread your wings!
Other news, totally awesome that Value Place Lodging and Homestead Main Street are hosting an awareness event for us. Everything is covered--food, sound system, etc. They are even going to have the Golden Knights (akin to the Blue Angels, but for the Army) in full dress with parachutes. Should be beautiful!
Then we all get to march in a kazoo band down Krome Ave. on March 5 for a family-friendly Mardi Gras parade. Again, should be lots of fun for all of us!
Spread your wings!
31 January 2011
Finally!
After over 6 months of bureaucracy, we opened the toddler room today. Every time we went back to the agency that oversees this particular room, they changed the rules, requested new information, or lost our paperwork. And every time we complied, provided, and resubmitted. Finally after months and months of driving back and forth to Miami and then to their new offices on Quail Roost, we were allowed to open the toddler room. There was nothing else they could do except let us open. With the help of some very wonderful advisors who shall remain nameless, we moved forward.
As of day 1, the toddler room is 50% full and we have the promise of parents to recruit to fill the other available slots. We are so very excited, especially Elizabeth as she has been working in the office to fill her time since August.
We are now working on plans for a middle school for next year. We have nearly everything in place. I'll post more about this when I can. In the meantime, it feels so good to be able to cross one more hurdle on our awesome trip.
Spread your wings!
As of day 1, the toddler room is 50% full and we have the promise of parents to recruit to fill the other available slots. We are so very excited, especially Elizabeth as she has been working in the office to fill her time since August.
We are now working on plans for a middle school for next year. We have nearly everything in place. I'll post more about this when I can. In the meantime, it feels so good to be able to cross one more hurdle on our awesome trip.
Spread your wings!
22 January 2011
Laurie Anderson
OK, so one of my favorite all-time composers is Laurie Anderson. She writes music that people like, she has a fabulous sense of humor, and she has a wonderful sense of style (musical, hair, clothes, visual, you name it). She's just plain cool.
When I'm not working at Atala these days, I also serve as the President of the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS). Each year this organization votes for one person who exemplifies what music technology means over the course of a lifetime. This year, I had the awesome fortune of Laurie Anderson winning that award. I had the even better fortune of her attending the conference, sitting at the head table, and shaking my hand. The cool factor was so high I can't begin to describe it. 250 nerds and geeks (and I count myself among them) attended this conference (that Colby and I hosted) who so admire this woman and what she's accomplished. What a fantastic, once-in-a-lifetime event.
Funny story #1: Laurie Anderson calls me on my cell (so now I have her personal cell number!) and tells me she was preparing for a short performance at the SEAMUS Conference banquet. In preparing for the performance, somehow she managed to glue her tongue to the top of her mouth. She calls me on my cell to tell me the bad news. But she's been to the pharmacy and is still coming to the banquet. Who glues their tongue to the roof to the roof of their mouth? Funny, in a painful way.
Funny story #2: My friend and (former FIU) colleague Paula is also a big Laurie Anderson fan. She was so very excited when I invited her to sit at the head table with Laurie. OK, so I'm taking Laurie to the women's restroom when she arrives because she has her tongue glued to the top of her mouth, and in walks Paula need to use the bathroom. Paula walks in, sees Laurie Anderson standing there, and turns right around and walks out. I had to go out to the hall and drag Paula back in assuring her that using the restroom would no way bother Laurie Anderson. Definitely my favorite happenstance of the conference.
Spread your wings!
When I'm not working at Atala these days, I also serve as the President of the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS). Each year this organization votes for one person who exemplifies what music technology means over the course of a lifetime. This year, I had the awesome fortune of Laurie Anderson winning that award. I had the even better fortune of her attending the conference, sitting at the head table, and shaking my hand. The cool factor was so high I can't begin to describe it. 250 nerds and geeks (and I count myself among them) attended this conference (that Colby and I hosted) who so admire this woman and what she's accomplished. What a fantastic, once-in-a-lifetime event.
Funny story #1: Laurie Anderson calls me on my cell (so now I have her personal cell number!) and tells me she was preparing for a short performance at the SEAMUS Conference banquet. In preparing for the performance, somehow she managed to glue her tongue to the top of her mouth. She calls me on my cell to tell me the bad news. But she's been to the pharmacy and is still coming to the banquet. Who glues their tongue to the roof to the roof of their mouth? Funny, in a painful way.
Funny story #2: My friend and (former FIU) colleague Paula is also a big Laurie Anderson fan. She was so very excited when I invited her to sit at the head table with Laurie. OK, so I'm taking Laurie to the women's restroom when she arrives because she has her tongue glued to the top of her mouth, and in walks Paula need to use the bathroom. Paula walks in, sees Laurie Anderson standing there, and turns right around and walks out. I had to go out to the hall and drag Paula back in assuring her that using the restroom would no way bother Laurie Anderson. Definitely my favorite happenstance of the conference.
Spread your wings!
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